Monday, April 8, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Meet and Greet: Virulent by Shelbi Wescott

YA Science-Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian

Date Published: 2/3/13

Lucy King is only an hour away from embarking on the most incredible vacation of her life: White sandy beaches in a tropical paradise, snorkeling and sunbathing in peaceful tranquility. But as Lucy looks forward to her trip, a sinister plot is unfolding that will demolish the world as she knows it. An unknown bioterrorist group unleashes a virus that virtually wipes out the earth’s population—leaving Lucy, and a small faction of survivors, trapped inside her high school to wait out the apocalypse.

War, looting, and death wreak havoc outside of her high school; but inside, the students must contend with a tyrannical and paranoid principal and their own struggles of being orphaned, frightened, and unsure of what the future will bring.What begins as a basic fight for survival turns into a search for answers that will challenge everything Lucy has ever known about her life and her family.

- I’d love to make writing a career. It’s definitely
glamourized in my mind: Waking up with a cup of coffee, sitting down to write
in a sunlight sunroom, reaching down to pet my dog. But I know it wouldn’t be
like that…I’d probably spill the coffee all over my keyboard the first day. And
I don’t have a sunroom or a dog. The truth is, I love the classroom and I love
teaching and my students invigorate me. I’m a teacher in my bones and I don’t
think I can easily leave that behind.

#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?

- This is the first time I attempted to write genre fiction.
Most of my writing tends to be literary fiction with a heavy focus on character
vs. plot. I’m a meanderer – both in writing and in real-life conversation. So,
I had to retrain myself to think about plot and I worked really hard on pacing.
Sometimes I feel that came at the expense of other things I’ve done well in the
past, and that’s something that I’m trying to fix in Book 2.

#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with
Your Writing Outside of Your Family?

- When I was in college, I took this writing course and when
I showed up to the class, I learned the famous/published teacher was on
sabbatical. At the time I felt really upset, however, the professor they hired
to teach in her absence gave me such incredible feedback on my work and helped
me work through my Achilles Heel: Rereading and rewriting as I go. During one of
our meetings, this teacher looked at me and said, “You’re never going to finish
a novel. Never ever. Not if you spend three months on one chapter and then
rework a character and go back and change everything. Just stop. Trust yourself
enough to know that it’s okay for it to be bad the first time around.” It’s
common advice and it’s good advice. You have to keep writing, no matter what.

#4 – What is next for your writing?

- I am plugging along on Virulent
Book 2 and outlining Book 3. But I have enough ideas in my head to last
multiple lifetimes, so when I finish these books, I’ll start something new! I’m
easily scared and am petrified of ghosts…so, I think I want to write a ghost
story that freaks me out while I’m writing it!

#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing?
If so, what are you currently reading?

I am addicted to reading. I love reading challenges! Three
years ago I did an Around the World in 80 Books challenge and that was amazing.
I read 96 books that year. When I write, I don’t read quite as much, which is
super depressing. Right now I’m reading: Libba Bray’s The Diviners and The Light
Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. I really want to read Stephen King’s Under the Dome before the miniseries
comes out this summer. It’s been sitting on a bookshelf, in hardback, for a few
years now.

DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:

A girl is trapped in her school after a bioterrorism attack kills most
of humanity.

(Half a tweet! Bonus!)

This or That?

#1 - iPod or Mp3?

- I don’t have either! I still have a tape deck in my car. But
iPod.

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?

- Chocolate.

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries?

- This is really hard. Can I wrap French Fries in Mashed
Potatoes? No? French fries then…but reluctantly.

#4 – Comedy or Drama?

- Comedy. I love to laugh.

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks?

- I haven’t read either. Is that un-American?

#6 – Fantasy or Reality?

- I’m drawn to realism, but it’s entirely masochistic. Reality
is grim. Fantasy is the way to go.

#7 – Call or Text?

- Text. I am an awkward phone-talker…I ramble; everyone
feels uncomfortable. Texting forces me to get to the point.

#8 – Public School or Home School?

- As a public school teacher, I think standing behind the
value of a public school experience is important.

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate

- Coffee. Preferably through an IV drip.

#10 – eBook or Paperback?

- I sure wish I had Stephen King’s Under the Dome on my eBook reader…my wrists are going to break
reading that book in hardback. But I only crave eBooks when I’m concerned for
my physical well-being or while traveling; I buy paperbacks. That’s changing a
bit. I do like the instant gratification of buying a book and having it seconds
later. That’s brilliant for impulsive people like me.

Shelbi Wescott is a high school Language Arts and Creative Writing

teacher, a mother of two, a television junky, and a board game connoisseur. Her first book, "Virulent: The Release" was born from a challenge issued by her students to write a book that would interest them. When she isn't writing or teaching, Shelbi can be found throwing

unnecessarily elaborate birthday parties and officiating weddings. She is a fan of: Spanx, bourbon, Powell’s Books, and tabloid magazines. Shelbi lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband (a local sports editor) and her two sons, Elliott and Ike.